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Ocklawaha post office01
Florida›Marion County
Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Ocklawaha

Ocklawaha, FL · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗

Is Ocklawaha a good place to live?

Ocklawaha’s best subject grade is a B for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for health. Only 33 of Florida’s 777 towns score lower on health. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Lake Weir Yacht Club and Thomas R. Ayer House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Ocklawaha has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

What makes Ocklawaha stand out

Where Ocklawaha beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Ocklawaha for work

Where Ocklawaha’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

16% → Ocala Ocala 16% 6% → The Villages The Villages 6% 5% → Lady Lake Lady Lake 5% 5% → Wildwood Wildwood 5% 4% → Leesburg Leesburg 4% 3% → Orlando Orlando 3% Ocklawaha · 1% stay
151jobs based in Ocklawaha
1%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Ocklawaha grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Ocklawaha is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Alfred Ayer House
Alfred Ayer House · National Register of Historic Places
Ocklawaha’s story

142 years in pictures

The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1837 and 3 maps from 1970 on.

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1884Ocklawaha is settled
Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Ocklawaha: who provides what

Ocklawaha is unincorporated, so Marion County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerDuke Energy18.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOcklawaha Water Works (2 Wtps)No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMarion CountyMarion County provides services here
SchoolsMarion County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Florida you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereMarion Supervisor of ElectionsMarion County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2023
ZIP code3217932179 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Ocklawaha.

HealthD−

Ocklawaha stands out in Florida and nationally: a larger share of its adults smoke cigarettes

23% of adults smoke cigarettes in Ocklawaha, above both the Florida town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 32% of adults get no exercise outside work in Ocklawaha. Ocklawaha beats the Florida average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 21.

5%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
OcklawahaFlorida townsU.S. towns
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)23%13%14%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)20%15%14%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)30%20%19%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)21%16%17%
31 measures vs. Florida
0 better10 too close to call21 worse
What stands outOcklawahaFL
More adults with COPD14%7.2%
More smokers22.8%12.4%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth21.7%12.7%
The Villages Regional Hospital
6.8 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

HousingCost of living grade B

A typical Ocklawaha home is worth about $238K

The typical Ocklawaha home is worth about $238,000, down 1.1% in a year, 37% below the Florida typical home. At $1,542 a month, Ocklawaha’s median rent is against $1,647 a month in Florida’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.

$238KZillow home value
OcklawahaFlorida townsU.S. towns
Median rent$1,542 a month$1,647 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home75%72%73%

Typical home value

Ocklawaha$238K
Florida$375K
−1.1%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−

Compared with most of Florida and the rest of the country, the median household income in Ocklawaha is lower

The median household income in Ocklawaha is $38,000. Since 2013, Ocklawaha has added 40 jobs, to 151 in 2023. 13% of Ocklawaha residents live below the poverty line.

1%work in town
OcklawahaFlorida townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work34 minutes27 minutes25 minutes
Median household income$38,000$73,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town1.1%5%8%
Below the poverty line13%11%9.6%

Where working residents work

In Ocklawaha1%
Ocala16%
The Villages6%
Lady Lake5%
Wildwood5%
17 mi
median commute distance
151
jobs based in Ocklawaha
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Ocklawaha, expect mild winters and hot summers

Ocklawaha has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Ocklawaha’s July high is 92°F.

92°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter48–71°
Spring58–83°
Summer72–91°
Fall62–83°
Dec 12
typical first frost
Feb 25
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−

High risk in Ocklawaha, with hurricanes at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities.

64risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
64High riskLowerHigher
HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes
6
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

OutdoorsC+

Conserved land covers 1.8% of Ocklawaha

0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area, at 26 acres.

1.8%conserved
OcklawahaFlorida townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.1 miles per square mile0.40.4
Conserved land1.8%3%4.3%
1.8%
conserved · 38 of 2,164 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area0.1 mi26

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Nearby attractions

Ocala National Forest and 21 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ocklawaha. Close and well known come first.

All 79 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Ocala National Forest: Sandra Friend, Public domain · Sugarloaf Mountain: Lithium6ion at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Silver Springs: NeilEvans, Public domain · Devil's Den: Eric Beach, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Spring State Park: Rizka, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Florida Citrus Tower: The shyguy, CC BY-SA 4.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Ocklawaha

17pages on Ocklawaha
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Ocklawaha; the nearest are

About Ocklawaha

Census-designated place

Ocklawaha (also spelled Oklawaha) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marion County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,508. The community is part of the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Elevation
59 ft
ZIP code
32179, 32183

Ocklawaha’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Ocklawaha.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownFL rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Ocklawaha——B—DD−
Silver Springs Shores East——C—DD

Ocklawaha and Silver Springs Shores East have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Ocklawaha and Silver Springs Shores East report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ocklawaha with a neighbor →

Questions about Ocklawaha

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Ocklawaha, FL expensive?

That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($61,010 across the Ocala, FL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.